Thirteen
by Arikae
Summary: This is an episode tag to "Thirteen". Colby's fall off the back of Clay Porter's pick-up was harder than he let on.


**Author's note: This is a short tag to the episode "Thirteen". I hope y'all like it. Again, it's less emotional than some of my other stories but there's a lot of hurt/comfort :D**

 **Warning: Un-betaed.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters.**

David turned a little in his seat at the office when he heard his partner grunt in pain. Colby was moving stiffly as he got off his seat, making David worry about his physical condition. He had taken a hard fall after jumping from the first floor landing of a motel in an attempt to catch Clay Porter. David shook his head as he thought about the stunts his partner pulls when chasing a suspect. For a man of his size, he could land and bolt after his perp like a cheetah after his prey. It was fascinating to watch. This was the first time he had to land on a moving truck, making his landing nowhere near as elegant and sending him hard on his back on the concrete. Colby insisted he was okay so David let it go. Looking at his friend now, he was wondering if he made the right decision.

"Your back giving you trouble?" David asked. "Maybe you should head to our medic and get yourself checked out before you go home."

"I'm just a little sore." Colby squeezed the bridge of his nose as the headache that has only been a little irritating elevated to pounding.

David frowned. He thought it was just Colby's back but it seemed to be more than that now. He closed his 302; the report can wait. "Come on. I'll go with you." He nudged his head towards the door.

"David, really…I'm fine. Just need a night's sleep." He grinned at his partner. "If you want to help you can finish my 302 for me?"

David laughed, "You wish."

"It was worth a try." Colby shrugged, wincing a little. "I'm heading home. Can you tell Don I'll have the report for him in the morning." He showed David the file he was holding. "I'll finish it at home. Don't stay too late." He said, giving David a slap on the shoulder as he passed him.

"Alright." David returned then called out quickly, "Hey!"

Colby turned around, "Yeah?"

"It's good to have you back."

Colby gave his crooked smile, "You mean that?" He asked, rubbing his neck, showing that he was a little embarrassed and nervous. David only ever sees him do that when a girl makes him uncomfortable. Colby only just officially returned to their team. They weren't back to their usual comfort zone before the Janus List was revealed and it may be while before they did.

David nodded and smiled, "I do."

"Thanks. It's good to be back." Colby waved, "See you in the morning."

"Yeah. Good night." He watched Colby walk away stiffly before returning to his own report.

* * *

Colby sat at his small dining table, working on his report. It was hard to concentrate when his headache refused to go away. He took a Tylenol as soon as he got back but it did nothing to stop the pounding. He got through the report and signed it. Usually he would read through it but he could barely see the words on the page now. "Eh…Don can read through my bad spelling." Colby closed the file and took another couple of Tylenol before turning in for the night.

* * *

Morning came too soon for Colby Granger. The alarm sent daggers through his head. He usually liked mornings. It was the best time of the day for him. A new day was a blank page with infinite possibilities. Anything could happen and Colby loved that about life; the unpredictability. Today, however, morning came with a blinding headache. "Who the hell said sleep is the best cure for a headache?" Colby complained, "Dumb liar." He prayed the bad guys wouldn't get up for work today.

Colby got to the office and dropped his report on Don's table before heading to the break room for a much needed coffee. The rest of the team hadn't arrived yet. He woke up earlier than usual. It was silly, he knew it, but it was his first official day back on the team and he wanted to get a jump-start on it. So far, it wasn't a good day. He wished this headache would go away. He sat down at the table in the room, resting his head in his hands. Maybe closing his eyes would settle the hammer in his head.

* * *

Don and David filed into the office, one after the other. Don sat down at his table and smiled at the report. Colby's first report since his return. He knew he made the right decision to keep Colby here. His smile faded when he opened it though. "What the hell is this?"

David looked up at his boss's irritated voice. "What wrong?"

"Colby's report is what's wrong." He showed it to David. "Can you read this?"

David squinted, "Wow, he's writing isn't the best but even that's bad for Colby." Not to mention it wasn't like Colby to be showing such disregard. "Where is he?" They spotted him sitting in the break room. "I'll go get him."

"Hey Granger!" Don yelled out across the office. It's a good thing it was early enough that not many people were at work but the ones that were, turned their attention on Colby.

David winced, "Or you could just yell."

Colby's head shot up at his boss's voice. He looked over and saw his irate boss gesturing for him to come over. Colby groaned as he pushed himself off the table. "Yeah, Don?" Colby queried once he reached his boss's table.

Don shoved his report at his chest. "What the hell is this?"

Colby frowned, taking the report and opening it. "It's my three oh…" He squinted and the lines on the page. He could barely read the words. "I'm so sorry, Don." No wonder why he couldn't read it last night.

"You're sorry? Why would you even give that to me? If this is going to be your attitude to work then maybe I made a mistake letting you come back." Don shook his head. Colby never liked paperwork, none of them did, but this was plain disrespect.

Colby narrowed his eyes as he watched his boss's lips move but heard none of the words coming out of his mouth. All he could hear was water rushing in his ear or more like waves pounding against rocks.

Don stopped talking when he realised Colby wasn't listening. "Colby?" He forgot about his anger when he noticed something was wrong with his agent. His eyes widened in shock when Colby started swaying. "Colb!"

The room was spinning now. He heard his boss call out to him and wished Don would stop yelling. It didn't help his headache. "I'll do this again." Colby told him, holding the report. He didn't even know Don had grabbed him when he started to sway.

"Give me that!" Don snatched the file off him and dumped it on his desk. David pushed his seat over and helped Don sit Colby down.

"What are you doing?" Colby was confused as he was guided into a chair. "Where's my report?" He looked around for the said file.

"Forget the report." Don took him by the head. "Look at me."

Colby did as he was told but it was hard to focus when there were two heads in front of him. "Which one?"

David groaned and picked up his desk phone. "Hey, this Sinclair. Can one of you come up? We have an agent with double vision up here." He hung up before grabbing another chair and pulling it up next to his partner. "Wu's on the way down." Dr Wu was the medic at the FBI. He usually handled any injuries on site. "I told you to get yourself checked out."

Colby groaned, leaning forward, burying his head in his hand. "It's just a headache."

"A headache that's causing double vision and dizziness." Don pulled his chair closer and sat down. "He had this headache since yesterday?" He was asking David.

"No, he was stiff yesterday from falling off Porter's car. He fell on his back." David told him.

"Any reason nobody told me about this?"

"I'm fine!" Colby groaned at the sound of his own voice.

David rolled his eyes, "That's what he said yesterday."

Don put a hand on Colby's head, which was still cradled between his hands. "Colby, did you have this headache yesterday?"

"It wasn't so bad."

"Don't lie to me, Granger. It must've been bad if you handed me _this_ report." Don tapped the file on his desk.

"My 302!" Colby's head came up and his eyes zoned in on the file. "I need to fix that." He leaned over to grab it but he toppled over instead.

"Woah!" Don and David grabbed him before could fall.

"Would you forget about that damn report? I'll write it up for you!" David worried over his friend. They sat him back on the chair.

Colby turned to David, his eyes trying to focus on him. "David, I don't feel so good." He closed his eyes when he started feeling nauseous. "I'm going to be sick." Don quickly grabbed his wastebasket and shoved it at Colby just as his breakfast came back up. David sighed, sympathetically, rubbing Colby's back as he emptied his stomach.

Don saw Dr Wu walking down the pathway towards them. "Over here." Don got up, gesturing for the doctor to come over.

David stood, moving out of the way for the doctor. "What do we have?" Dr Wu turned Colby around, taking away the wastebasket. "Nausea, I take it." He placed it on the floor and grabbed a tissue, handing it to Granger. "Can you sit up for me?" Colby took the tissue, wiping his mouth before doing as the doctor asked. He groaned. Dr Wu winced sympathetically. "Look straight ahead. Try to keep your eyes open." As he examined Colby's eyes, he asked some routine questions. "What happened to cause this?" He was asking either Don or David.

"He jumped off the first floor of a motel onto a moving pick-up and took a tumble off it." David explained, casually. Dr Wu paused and looked up at him as if to say, _seriously?_ David just shrugged. "He jumps off everything without thinking. It's Colby. What can I say?"

"Why am I shocked? I treat FBI Agents." Dr Wu shook his head and sat up. "His pupils are uneven, which is a clear sign for a concussion." Wu felt around Colby's head, irritating the Agent. Colby shoved his hands away, but it didn't deter the doctor. Colby frowned and shoved at the hands again. When he tried for the third time Don grabbed his hands.

"Let Dr Wu do his job!" Don said exasperated. "You're like a ten year old!"

Colby glared at him. "I didn't hit my head!" The headache was making him irritable.

"Yeah, well considering you didn't tell me about your headache, forgive me if I don't trust you!" It was a bad choice of words. They may have gotten over their trust issues since the Chinese spy case but the wounds were still a little raw. Especially for Colby.

"I didn't want to lie to you!" Colby screamed at him, shocking everyone. "And I wasn't pretending! I never pretended." He turned to David. "I was your partner. I wasn't pretending!" David looked around and saw that everyone was looking at him and Colby. By now, most of the office was filled. He looked at Don who sighed, knowing he had triggered the outburst. Don also knew that if Colby didn't have a concussion, it wouldn't have come up, let alone scream it out.

Don stood. "Alright everyone, get back to work." He ordered, then sat back down. "Give me a moment." He requested of Dr Wu. The doctor nodded and went to the break room, giving the trio some privacy. Don turned Colby's chair so they were facing each other. "I didn't mean that I don't trust you, Colb. I would just rather the doctor check you over thoroughly."

"I didn't hit my head." Colby growled at him.

Don chuckled. "Okay. You didn't hit your head."

"And I wasn't pretending." He said quietly, his hands rubbing together nervously. David could see how tense the man was. He gave Colby's shoulder a squeeze, hoping to ease the man.

Don nodded, "I know. If you were pretending to be David's partner, if you were pretending to be our friend, you wouldn't have asked to stay and I wouldn't have let you stay." He looked up at David, who nodded in agreement. It was true.

"You believe me?"

Don smiled sadly as how small Colby sounded. "Look at me." He requested. Colby did and Don's heart ached at the uncertainty he saw in Colby's eyes. "I _trust_ you, Colby and so does the rest of the team." He smiled when Colby nodded. Don leaned forward. "Now will you let Dr Wu check you out?" He wanted to laugh at Colby's glare but he wasn't sure how he would take it in his condition.

"Fine." Colby consented.

David turned and gestured for the doctor to return. Colby glared at the doctor or doctors walking towards him, almost growling. David shook his head. He's never seen someone who disliked doctors as much as Granger. "Behave." He ordered his partner.

"I didn't hit my head." Don burst out laughing when Granger growled that out at Dr Wu when he sat back down.

David shook his head, grinning. "He didn't hit his head." He confirmed, taking pity on Colby. "I saw it. He landed on his back but I'm almost a hundred per cent sure he didn't hit his head."

Wu nodded, "Yes, I believe you. I didn't feel any bumps but he does have a concussion. Headaches, uneven pupil dilation, dizziness, nausea and irritability are all signs of a concussion. I think it's only mild but…" He frowned when something else came to mind. "Agent Granger, could you sit forward?" Colby did as he was asked. "Just lean over a little." Dr Wu pulled up Colby's shirt. David and Don hissed at the blue and purple artwork on Colby's back. "Yeah, I thought so." He felt around Colby's back, causing Colby to jump out of his seat.

"What are you do…?" The room spun out of control. "Woah!" Colby threw his arm out, trying to find something to brace himself on. Don grabbed his arm, while David caught him from behind.

"Easy, brother." David steadied his partner. He looked at the doctor.

"To be safe, I'm going to order a CT Scan just to make sure nothing else is causing the headaches. I'll call ahead. If someone could get him to St Simons and see Dr Watson, he'll arrange the scan and give a more accurate diagnosis."

Colby had his eyes closed; the spinning room was making him nauseous again. He felt himself being moved. "Where are we going?" Colby asked, opening his eyes.

"Hospital."

Colby dug his heels in, much like a dog would when it doesn't want to go to the vet. "No."

Don saw how David was struggling to get Colby moving. "Do I have to make it an order, Granger?" He called out, smiling when they started moving again. "Why is he so stubborn?"

* * *

That night, after work Don and David headed over to Charlie's house. After the CT Scan, Dr Watson was pleased to announce that Colby only had a mild concussion. He said that Colby's fall off the truck must have cause a big enough jolt to make the brain hit the inside of his skull, injuring it. Although it wasn't a severe concussion, Dr Watson still wanted him monitored, hence why David drove Colby to Charlie's house before heading back to the office. Colby wasn't happy to say the least.

Don entered the house with David and was quickly shushed by Alan Eppes. "He's asleep." Alan told his son, pointing at the couch. "He's exhausted."

"Was he any trouble?" David whispered, "Because I almost shot him at the hospital."

Alan shook his head, "Not at all. A model patient if you ask me. You two must nag him too much."

"We don't nag. He's a pain." Don walked over quietly and sat down on the coffee table. "How long has he been asleep?"

Alan looked at the clock, "About three hours now."

Don nodded and gently shook his agent awake. David stepped over but remained standing at Colby's feet. Colby's brow furrowed at the shaking. Slowly, he opened his eyes and looked around. He sighed when his tired eyes focused on his boss and then his partner. "Can I go home now?"

Don let out a short laugh, turning to his dad. "Model patient, huh?"

Alan shrugged, "I told you, you two irritate him." He said before leaving his son to it.

Don and David rolled their eyes. "Stay here the night." Don told him, "And we'll see how you feel tomorrow."

"Are you going to make it an order?" Colby groaned.

"Do I have to?"

Colby let out a breath. "No."

David smiled. "How's the headache?"

"Bearable." Colby closed his eyes when it felt like the room was going to start spinning.

"Still dizzy, huh?" David sympathised.

"Yeah." He opened his eyes and looked at them, annoyed. "I've jumped off balconies hundreds of times, I don't know why this one caused so much damage?"

"Yeah, well, this time you didn't land on your feet." David pointed out.

"I hate lying around doing nothing." Colby tried to push off the blanket to get up. "What time is it?"

"Hey, what are you doing?" Don put a hand on his shoulder to keep him down. It didn't take much; Colby was too exhausted to even put up a fight.

"It's a little after 7, why?"

"I've been sleeping all day and answering mundane question every time Mr Eppes wakes me up." Colby looked at Don apologetically, "I've tried my best to not snap but if he asks me one more question I'm not going to be held responsible for what I do."

Don and David exchanged identical grins, "Model patient." Don shook his head.

David sat at the end of the couch and pat Colby's foot under the blanket. "I think we can stop asking questions. Doctor was just being cautious."

"Have you eaten?"

Colby shook his head. "Mr Eppes made me a sandwich but I threw it back up."

Don sighed, feeling bad for his agent. He stood up and held out his hand. "Come on, we'll see if we can get something into you that won't come back up." David pulled the blanket off while Don helped Colby off the couch.

The change in position didn't help with Colby's headache or dizziness. "Give me a sec." Colby leaned forward, taking deep breaths to ease his pounding.

Don rubbed Colby's shoulder; knowing how miserable he must be feeling. A headache is bad enough without everything else joining the party. "I think you'll be here a little longer than a night."

Colby raised his head, "I'm miserable enough without you piling on, thank you."

Don laughed, "Come on, it's not so bad here."

Charlie walked in then with his bag and a pack from the pharmacy. "I picked up the nausea pills dad asked for. How are you feeling, Colby?" He winced at the worn face of his friend.

"I would feel a lot better if I didn't feel like I was putting you out." Colby rubbed his eyes, "Thanks for the meds."

"Colby, how many times do I have to tell you? It's no problem." Don gestured towards the dining room with his head. "Come on. The doctor will have my head if he finds out I'm not feeding you." Colby took Don's hand, letting him pull him up. "How's your back?"

"Looks worse than it is."

Colby gingerly sat down, using the table as leverage. He narrowed his eyes at the pasta on the table and already felt his stomach protesting. "I don't want to sound ungrateful but I don't think that's going to stay down." Just as he finished the sentence a bowl of chicken broth was put in front of him. He looked up to see Alan Eppes smiling down at him.

"I put ginger in it to help with the nausea."

Colby smiled warmly at Don's father. It's easy to see how Don and Charlie grew up to be the man they are. "Thanks Mr Eppes. Sorry for…ow?" Alan had smacked Colby over the head. Don, David and Charlie were laughing. "You do know I have a concussion, right?"

"Your apologise again and it won't be my hand next time." Alan sat down at the head of the table. "Now eat up."

Colby chuckled, rubbing his head. "Yes, Sir."

* * *

After dinner, David, Don and Colby sat around the living room talking. Colby didn't want to sleep just yet, claiming he had slept the entire day and wanted to hear about their day. "The guy might as well have walked himself into our office. I have never seen a dumber perp in my career." David laughed.

Colby shook his head; "Trust the easiest cases to fall in our laps when I'm out of commission."

"In your condition this morning? Even this guy could've gotten past you." David shook his head.

Colby frowned at him. "Come on! I wasn't that bad."

Don and David exchanged amused look. "How much of this morning do you remember?" Don asked him.

Colby thought about that morning and then shrugged. "I remember feeling crap. I threw up." He looked at Don with an annoyed expression on his face. "You were yelling a lot. Don't you know you shouldn't yell at someone with a concussion?"

David laughed at Don's incredulous expression. "I didn't yell."

"Yeah, you did."

Don glared at David, "Fine, I yelled but before I knew you had a concussion." He paused before asking again. "That's all you remember?"

"Um…" Colby shrugged, unsure of what he was supposed to remember. "I still owe you my 302?"

Don snorted, "You really need to forget about that. Almost killed yourself over it."

"Yeah, the rest is fuzzy." Colby narrowed his eyes at them. "Why? Did I do something?"

"Nah, nothing like that." Don waved away his concern, then leaned forward, resting his elbow on his knees. "You know we trust you, right?" Colby looked at them, then looked down, fiddling with the edge of the blanket on his lap. "Right?" Don looked over at David, worried.

Colby nodded, "Sure." He said, but he wasn't very convincing.

"Colb…" Don got up and moved closer, sitting himself on the coffee table. "We trust you."

"Don's right, Colby. We do." David backed up his boss.

Colby gave them a small smile. "Thanks, but I don't blame you if you don't. You've given me a chance once already." He was referring to the Dwayne Carter case. Colby shrugged. "I know I have to earn your trust again and I'll do whatever it take to do it."

Don smiled, giving Colby's knee a squeeze. "You already have it. I said it this morning and I'll say it again. You wouldn't be on the team if I didn't trust you. Out of all of us you've sacrificed the most for the FBI."

"Yeah, brother, you've earned your place on the team." David told him. "And there's nobody else I want more to watch my back."

Colby smiled at them with his crooked smile. "Thanks. You don't know how much that means to me."

* * *

They talked for another half an hour about nothing in particular. Slowly the talking died down when Colby drifted off. David grinned at his friend. "We should probably get him more comfortable. His back's sore enough as it is."

"Yeah," Don pointed his chin to Colby's feet. "Get his legs." He said as he adjusted Colby's pillow before guiding Colby down so that he was lying comfortable on the couch.

Don grinned at how content Colby looked. He started laughing softly. "Who'd have thought big, bad Colby was such a kid when he's not feeling well?" He walked David to the door, planning to stay the night to keep an eye on Colby. Colby was his agent after all.

David laughed at the memory of Colby yelling at the doctor. "Yeah, he's quite entertaining with a concussion."

"I wish I had it on video."

"We have security cameras in our office." David and Don exchanged cheeky looks.

 **The End.**


End file.
